Are you a non, ex or current smoker?

richardhomer

Ex. Was a very occasional social smoker - then met my (now ex) wife when I was 30, who was a fully-fledged Benson & Hedges addict - I soon became the same.

We both gave up in the late nineties and both relapsed when we separated in 2007. Apart from the odd one, I've not smoked now for about three years.

I had a health check at a local pharmacy today, which revealed I have sky-high blood pressure - so off to see the GP.

If it's that bad without smoking, its a good job I've stopped....

IanSavage

Thing is, I'm SO much more creative when I've got a smoke and/or a drink (even at hand, not necessarily having one or the other or both - although my absolute BEST journalistic and creative writing has come typing/writing one-handed with fag ash dropping on the keyboard / guitar neck / notepad and a glass of wine or whiskey in my left hand). 

It's most likely some kind of social conditioning ("I can't have these things when I'm working, so they're my signal to free myself and create instead of being a wage slave"), but bollocks, they work. And have / do for more creative types than I care to count; can't be arsed to argue why it might be now, I'm off for me last fag in the pub beer garden before I walk home  

EricTheWeary

Smoked on and off from teens until my 40's, cigar on holiday type of thing. Don't think I ever smoked two days running in my life, I'm just not cool enought to have got addicted. :-B

Bucket

Non-smoker. Don't have an issue with it really because it's a personal choice, but I'll never touch it myself.

Bucket

axisus said:

Never taken a single puff. My parents didn't smoke and I was never one to follow the crowd. I used to think I was cool for not following the crowd, but I realise now that social ineptitude probably assisted greatly!

Actually, all of this

johnnyurq

Ex smoker from age 13 to 36 ish.

Tried to stop with no joy several times and finally about 2000 the doc gave me Zyban (before Champix arrived) which finally cracked it for me. Now 13 or 14 years stopped and doubt I will ever smoke again.

As some have said watch for weight gain on stopping as it is almost inevitable.

Money saved has funded loads of lovely GAS and other spends as me and 'er indoors stopped at the same time.

Not a born again non smoker though as it is all about pesonal choice and summat will kill you in any case so it might as well be something you enjoy. Better to burn out than fade away.

guitarfishbay

Non smoker.

chillidoggy

Emp_Fab said:

I smoked from 13 to 48.  What's that.. 35 years ?  Shiiiiit !!

I gave up when I had my heart attack and the cardiac surgeon told me the greatest danger for me now was getting a blood clot where he had fitted the stent and that the fastest way I could get the blood to clot there was to continue smoking.  I stopped that day and, apart from having an extremely rare couple of drags when I'm blind drunk, I haven't smoked since.

Now, I can't believe the stench on people who smoke.  I was mortified to come to the realisation that I too smelled like that before I stopped.  Now, I just smell of McDonald's and Gin.

I'm relieved to see you haven't let your heart problem get in the way of a good piss-up and junk food!

stickyfiddle

Never smoked anything bar a couple of cigars, and they give me a sore throat, much as I enjoy them at the time.

Tonnes of people out here smoke shisha, not realising that one of those is worth about 200 cigs as far as your lungs are concerned. Also invalidates life insurance if you tell them you're a non-smoker. If I died and MrsF didn't get a big payout she'd kill me!

richardhomer

On the subject of life insurance, at least one provider considers customers to be smokers if they use e-cigarettes.

Whether this is because they believe they are more likely to relapse into smoking cigarettes, or whether they are unconvinced that they are safe, I don't know.